The present invention relates generally to test stations for IC (integrated circuit) packages, and more particularly, to a socket cover with a signal emitter and a signal detector for automatically monitoring that an IC package is placed onto a socket of a test station with proper orientation and proper alignment for testing the IC package.
During manufacture of IC (integrated circuit) packages, the IC packages are tested for determining various performance characteristics of such IC packages, as known to one of ordinary skill in the art of IC package manufacture. Referring to FIG. 1, an IC package 102 is placed onto a socket 104 of a test station for testing of the IC package 102. The socket 104 has a plurality of pins within a socket opening 106 including a first pin 112, a second pin 114, a third pin 116, a fourth pin 118, a fifth pin 120, a sixth pin 122, a seventh pin 124, an eighth pin 126, and a ninth pin 128. A socket typically has more numerous pins therein, but nine pins are shown within the socket opening 106 of FIG. 1 for clarity of illustration.
Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the IC package 102 is placed onto the socket 104 for testing of the IC package 102 at a test station. Referring to FIG. 3, a bottom view of the IC package 102 shows a plurality of contact pads for making contact with the plurality of pins within the socket opening 106 when the IC package 102 is placed onto the socket 104 with proper orientation and with proper alignment. Elements having the same reference number in FIGS. 1, 2, and 3 refer to elements having similar structure and function. For proper orientation, a predetermined corner 129 of the IC package 102 is matched with a predetermined corner 130 of the socket opening 106.
When the IC package 102 is placed onto the socket 104 with proper orientation and with proper alignment, a first contact pad 132 makes contact with the first pin 112, a second contact pad 134 makes contact with the second pin 114, a third contact pad 136 makes contact with the third pin 116, a fourth contact pad 138 makes contact with the fourth pin 118, a fifth contact pad 140 makes contact with the fifth pin 120, a sixth contact pad 142 makes contact with the sixth pin 122, a seventh contact pad 144 makes contact with the seventh pin 124, an eighth contact pad 146 makes contact with the eighth pin 126, and a ninth contact pad 148 makes contact with the ninth pin 128.
Each of the contact pads 132, 134, 136, 138, 140, 142, 144, 146, and 148 is for providing connection to a respective node of the integrated circuit within the IC package 102, as known to one of ordinary skill in the art of IC package manufacture. Each of the pins 112, 114, 116, 118, 120, 122, 124, 126, and 128 of the socket 104 is for coupling a respective contact pad of the IC package 102 to a test station, as known to one of ordinary skill in the art of IC package manufacture.
Referring to FIG. 2, when the IC package 102 is placed onto the socket 104 for testing of the IC package 102, a cylinder head 150 extends down onto the IC package 102. The cylinder head 150 presses the IC package 102 against the pins of the socket 104 for ensuring that each of the contact pads 132, 134, 136, 138, 140, 142, 144, 146, and 148 of the IC package 102 contacts a respective one of the pins 112, 114, 116, 118, 120, 122, 124, 126, and 128 of the socket 104, as described herein.
Unfortunately, if the IC package 102 is not placed onto the socket 104 with proper orientation and with proper alignment, when the cylinder head 150 extends down onto the IC package 102, the IC package 102 may undesirably break. During testing of IC packages at a test station, an operator loads and unloads a large quantity of IC packages in a work day. For example, thousands of IC packages may be loaded into and unloaded from the socket 104 by an operator during a work day. With handling of such a large quantity of IC packages, the operator is prone to human error of placing an IC package onto the socket 104 with improper orientation or with improper alignment. When, the cylinder head 150 extends down onto such an IC package that is placed onto the socket 104 with improper orientation or with improper alignment, the IC package breaks resulting in loss of yield during IC package production.
Thus, a mechanism is desired for automatically monitoring that an IC package is placed onto a socket of a test station with proper orientation and proper alignment before the cylinder head 150 extends down onto the IC package.
Accordingly, in a general aspect of the present invention, a socket cover is mounted onto a socket for monitoring that an IC (integrated circuit) package is properly placed onto the socket with proper orientation and proper alignment. The socket cover includes a platform that is attached on top of the socket, and the platform has an opening for exposing pins of the socket when the platform is attached onto the top of the socket. The IC package is placed within the opening of the platform and onto the pins of the socket for testing of the IC package. A signal generator is disposed on a first side of the opening of the platform for emitting a signal across the opening toward a second side of the opening. A signal detector is disposed on the second side of the opening of the platform, and the signal detector is aligned with the signal generator such that the signal detector detects the signal emitted by the signal generator when the signal is not blocked.
The signal detector detects the signal emitted by the signal generator when the IC package that is placed with proper orientation and proper alignment within the opening of the platform does not block the signal. Alternatively, the signal detector does not detect the signal emitted by the signal generator when the IC package that is placed with improper orientation or improper alignment within the opening of the platform does block the signal.
The present invention may be used to particular advantage when a cylinder head extends down to press down the IC package onto the pins of the socket after placement of the IC package onto the pins of the socket. In that case, a cylinder controller controls the cylinder head to not extend down toward the IC package when the signal detector does not detect the signal emitted by the signal generator indicating that the IC package that is placed with improper orientation or improper alignment within the opening of the platform is blocking the signal. Alternatively, the cylinder controller controls the cylinder head to extend down toward the IC package when the signal detector detects the signal emitted by the signal generator indicating that the IC package that is placed with proper orientation and proper alignment within the opening of the platform is not blocking the signal.
In this manner, damage to an IC package from improper placement of the IC package within the socket with improper orientation or improper alignment is prevented.
These and other features and advantages of the present invention will be better understood by considering the following detailed description of the invention which is presented with the attached drawings.